Category: E bikes

I hear that some shops are struggling, and I’m trying to understand it myself. But here are 5 things that to me, seem like they can help make your bike shop more successful.

It’s not so much about racing anymore.

In the past and still, very often our best and high dollar customers are the race crowd. Bicycle racing does promote the sport, push innovation and drive sales. It’s kind of the whole point for our and other industries too.

Lets just not forget that we are changing the world and part of becoming a more bike-friendly world is we need to embrace the weird and wonderful bikes that our new customers want to test ride. With those bikes come a new group of people that may be put off by the race scene. What percentage of the population in your city races bikes? I bet is just a small part of it. We need to welcome the remainder of the population.

Own the issues and be transparent.

This is an ongoing customer service issue in every industry. be open and honest, tell them what you are going to do, try to do it, if you run into issues, keep the customer in the loop. whether it’s positive or negative. In the long run, it will be appreciated, and respected.

Embrace E-bikes.

E-bikes are here, they’re awesome and the sales are growing in leaps and bounds at the moment. E-bikes are part of getting that other part of your population in your store and most importantly on a bike and outside. It’s not cheating, it’s another form of transportation that isn’t about competition, itas about access and expansion of cycling for everyone. I mention this every time someone gives that “oh I’d never need that, I’m too good for that” response to e-bikes. More on e-bikes in a related post here.

Talk to your customers.

Be the person that listens and asks questions and validates their concerns and interests. call them on the phone, follow up after the sale, and service. Send thank you and holiday cards. This is important: Not every contact needs to be a marketing ploy. Honest Communication is appreciated and it keeps your awesome shop in their thoughts.

Follow up after the sale and service.

Prep for service during the sale because modern high-end bikes need skilled routine maintenance. Let’s start the education form the beginning and knock it out of the park with fast and expert service with a smile. Call them 60 days after they take the bike home and see if they have any questions or need any accessories. Invite them to a ride or to a how-to class. Let them know you have their backs and best interests in mind.

Don’t shun the do it yourself and online purchase crowd.

They may not know it yet but they need you and your vast experience and honest yet gentle assessment of their needs. You need them too. ask my auto mechanic, D.I.Y folks may not start in your shop but they end up spending money there. They need you as much as you need them. treat them with respect and as interns, they want to learn and don’t want to feel bad for trying it themselves.

E bikes are showing up everywhere, and as an electronics hobbyist and robotics coach that Loves Bicycling. I see E bikes as an evolution of the bicycle that can bring more people to the bike shop. More people on bikes means more healthy people. Healthy people outside are happy people. Happy people make a better world.

It’s Not cheating. If you wouldn’t be riding otherwise or you might give up if it takes too long to see progress in your health or riding you should be on an E bike. If you want to commute but your just a little too far away to make it reasonable to do frequently, an Ebike could cut your commute in half.

It’s affordable. cost of ownership on an E bike is similar to a regular bike. effectively cost of charging is the same as a laptop. you can save money by commuting to work. we can do the math in another post Here. You also will spend less on healthcare long term by becoming more healthy. Not spending money on parking and filling your gas tank is another money saving bonus.

It’s getting better. Ebikes are improving every year, the number of people on bikes is growing. the pressure for better bike infrastructure is also growing, making it even easier to get out on your bike.

It’s good for you. weather you are young and fit or in need of moving more. biking is a safe low impact way to get fit. Pedal assist e bikes which is what most reputable bike shops will sell, require your pedaling to provide added power to your pedal stroke. so your still getting exercise on an ebike. inactivity is a primary reason for onset of most of our top health problems. The assistance encourages you to ride more and longer.

Its FUN! with out fail every E bike test rider returns with a big smile on their face. Pedal assist ebikes are so much fun. they just boost your abilities and allow you to go more often and for longer rides, while not feeling like you just did a major work out. but you’re getting one…

Go to your local bike shop, test ride an E bike. You’ll come back with a great big grin on your face and you won’t regret it!

Its time to talk about an important Question, Can you look sexy in a bike helmet?

Well, you cant be sexy if your dead. So Yes, you can be sexy in a bicycle helmet. 🙂
The facts are 67% of people who have died do to a cycling accident were not wearing a helmet. Wearing a Helmet reduces head injuries by 88%. So if you don’t want to die or deal with a head injury you should be wearing a helmet every time you ride. Many Bicycle industry Professionals are of the opinion that it might be a sign of a head injury to not wear a helmet.

Here’s the key points for choosing a Bicycle helmet.1. Price doesn’t effect the governmental safety standard requirements, that said make sure your helmet has one of CPSC, ASTM, ANSI, or SNELL certifications stickers in it. The only safety feature that can be bought is MIPS, it exceeds the safety standards so they can charge more for it. What is MIPS? MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection. Simply, MIPS helps when there is a twisting type impact and can help reduce injuries better under those circumstances. most good helmet models have a with and without MIPS options, that range from $15-$25 more for the with MIPS option. See the links below for more information.

2. Fit, get the fit right, and if you can’t get a helmet to fit, try another.
The front of the helmet should be no more than 1 or 2 fingers above your eye brows and should fit with minimal movement from left to right or front to back. I usually say, “it should feel like it will stay on your head well with out the chin strap clipped, but it should be clipped”.
The straps should form a V that goes behind and below your ear, the tip of the V should be just in front of your ear, and the clip should allow no more than 1 to 2 fingers to be inserted below your chin. The videos are very helpful for seeing how it should look.
It should be comfortable. probably not like that first image below…

3. When to replace a helmet.
If you crash, replace your helmet. If you Drop it on a hard surface, Replace Your helmet.
If there is any visible damage or discoloration of the foam, Replace the helmet.
After a major impact the foam of your helmet weakens. Even if you can’t see cracks or dents in the helmet, it can cause your helmet to break apart if you crash.
If there’s any doubt, Replace the helmet.Before you buy a new helmet, check with your helmet’s manufacturer. Some companies have a crash replacement program or may replace the helmet for less than the cost of a new one.

4. Other considerations like Look, Weight, Airflow, lights, Cameras, Visors etc. These things are what your buying when you spend more on a helmet. everyone has their preferences on these add-on options. Who am I to tell you what you want. Just know your helmet should match you riding type and style. most people will tell you that visors are for Mountain biking and non visors are for road, but do what you want, your already a sexy beast, You just do you.